- Just 9 per cent of children are considered overweight by their family
- But NHS figures show almost a third of two to 15-year-olds actually are
- Working parents were most guilty of feeding their children fatty treat
Victoria Allen, Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail
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Parents are in denial about how fat their children are – and use unhealthy snacks to reward good behaviour, a study has found.
Just 9 per cent of children are considered overweight by their family – even though NHS figures show almost a third of two- to 15-year-olds are.
Overstretched parents may be making the obesity crisis worse by using food as an incentive, the survey of 2,000 parents for insurance firm Aviva found.
Just 9 per cent of children are considered overweight by their family – even though NHS figures show almost a third of two- to 15-year-olds are
Nearly half admitted giving their children sweets, chocolate and other unhealthy snacks, with working parents most guilty. It means almost two in five children eat at least one portion of chocolate or crisps every day.
Nearly as many parents said they treat children to trips to fast-food restaurants, while a third buy family takeaways.
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More than half of parents also allow children more screen time for good behaviour, putting them at greater risk of obesity as they sit still rather than exercising.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘When so many children are overweight, it gets increasingly difficult for parents to recognise what is, and what is not, a healthy size.
‘This is not so much “BMI blindness”, but the failure of primary care health professionals who should understand BMI, regularly check it and tell parents the truth.
It means almost two in five children eat at least one portion of chocolate or crisps every day
‘There should be no confusion, however, about reward systems – motivating children with junk food and more TV should never be an option.
‘If you do so with yours, don’t be surprised if you find you have an unhappily fat child down the line.’
With children increasingly in thrall to tablets and games consoles, a quarter of parents said their child was more likely to be found looking at a screen than playing games or sports.
Nonetheless, only just over a third of parents surveyed have brought in any rules to limit their child’s screen time.
Perhaps as a result, the study shows almost one in five children would rather be indoors than outside, while one in seven were said by their parents to show little interest in exercising.
Dr Doug Wright, medical director for Aviva UK Health, said: ‘Delve into the nation’s diet and it’s no surprise the country has a weight issue, with many families regularly reaching for high-calorie, sugary food and drinks, and too few meeting diet and exercise guidelines.’
It is recommended that youngsters exercise for at least an hour every day to keep healthy, but parents said only around a quarter of their children got this much exercise.
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